Dr Bridget Crampton

Department of Plant Sciences

[email protected]

Functional Genomics of Maize Foliar Pathogens 

Bridget Crampton completed her BSc and BSc (Hons) degrees at the University of the Witwatersrand before moving to the University of Cape Town, where she graduated with an MSc in Microbiology. 

She took up employment at CSIR in 1996 where she was actively involved in Plant Biotechnology related research. 

During this time, she obtained a PhD in Botany from the University of Pretoria.  In 2009 she took up a postdoctoral fellowship at UP, and was appointed a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Science in 2012.  
 

 She is a Y2 NRF-rated scientist.

IRT-related research projects

Dr Crampton leads the Cereal Foliar Pathogen Research group (CFPR), which currently focuses on the economically important maize diseases.  Grey leaf spot in Africa is caused by the fungal pathogen Cercospora zeina, and CFPR research includes the use of genomics and knock-out mutations to elucidate the mode of infection.  Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), caused by the fungus Exserohilum turcicum, is a global leaf foliar pathogen.  As part of a long term project to identify virulence factors from maize foliar fungal pathogens, CFPR is characterising South African E. turcicum isolates using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) as molecular markers.  

Key Publications

Korsman, JK, Meisel, B, Klopper, FJ, Crampton, BG, Berger DK ( 2011)  Quantitative phenotyping of grey leaf spot disease in maize using real time PCR.  Eur J Plant Pathol. 133: 461-471

O'Kennedy, MM, Crampton, BG, Lorito, M, Chakauya, E, Breese, WA, Burger, JT, Botha, FC.  (2010)  Expression of a β-1,3-glucanase from a biocontrol fungus in transgenic pearl millet, SA J Bot. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2010.09.016

Crampton, BG, Hein, I, Berger, DK (2009) Salicylic acid confers resistance to a biotrophic rust pathogen, Puccinia substriata, in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum).  Mol Plant Pathol.  10: 291–304